Jack and I watched "The Five People You Meet In Heaven" last night. Actually, Jack made me watch it, just as he made me read the book when it first came out. I have to say that I found the book unbearably sappy and did not much care for it. The movie was also unbearably sappy, but for some reason I didn't find it quite as cloying, and I found myself sniveling at the end along with my husband. The basic message of it is an interesting and good one--that everything in our life affects other lives.

But it made me think of a man who I'll just refer to as D.M. D.M. is the man who tried to shoot me back in February of 2001, failing only because the gun jammed. (Summaries are here and here.) It should be noted that D.M. had spent most of his adult life in prison, and prior to that incident had just recently been released on parole for an armed robbery conviction. It should also be noted that said conviction was a plea from 2nd degree murder. Jack described him a stone-cold killer--someone who would as soon kill you as step around you. So it could easily be said that D.M. was one of your more useless members of society.

But because of that incident in February, I met Jack. He was the prosecutor for the case, and in December he asked me out, and on December 28th we went out for the first time. We got married July 13, 2002 and in fall of 2003 we started exploring options for having a baby. I got pregnant in January 2003, but eight weeks later suffered the agony of miscarriage. That August I got pregnant again, and on April 26, 2004 at 7:26 am, Anna was born weighing a hefty 8 1/2 pounds and measuring 20".

So, if not for this sociopathic murderer, I would not be married to this pretty wonderful man, and I would not have my incredibly beautiful daughter.

Funny how things work.

This day: 2001